Vitamins and Your Skin

Ask a Dermatologist: How can vitamins and minerals help give your skin a healthy glow?

Dr. Lisa Kellett

Achieving a healthy glow is easier than you probably realize. A growing body of research indicates that healthy eating, combined with a daily multivitamin, can have positive health benefits that in turn can improve how your skin actually looks.

Your skin is often a reflection of what is going on inside of you, in terms of how healthy your diet and lifestyle are. Typically, when it comes to skin care, we turn to topical treatments like creams, lotions and sunscreens. That's a good start, of course, but it's also the nutrients we eat - or fail to eat - each day that can play a key role in overall skin health.

Here are a few key vitamins and nutrients that you can put to work for you:

. Vitamin A reverses and treats damage that results from chronic exposure to harmful ultraviolet rays, promoting healthier skin, hair, eyes and even teeth. Vitamin A is necessary for repairing and maintaining skin tissue.

. Antioxidants, primarily Vitamin E and Vitamin C, can help to protect skin cells from sunlight, smoke and pollution. Antioxidants are also important in the formation of the protein 'collagen,' which helps to strengthen and protect skin, as well as bones and tendons.

. B vitamins, including biotin, are nutrients required for healthy development of skin, nails and hair cells.

All things considered, there is much you can do daily to protect your skin, hair and nails by paying attention to the nutrients your body takes in. A healthy diet - combined with a multivitamin such as Centrum, will help to provide the vitamins and minerals you need to maintain healthy skin.

Dr. Lisa Kellett, M.D., F.R.C.P.(C), D.A.B.D, is a practicing physician/ dermatologist who works and lives in Toronto.